Thursday, April 10, 2014
Now that the hotel reservations were made, an airline trip for G'Ma was booked and the time neared, we, the humans at OBP, finally were ready to go away for a vacation which constituted one overnight to the other side of the state. We went to see two Baltimore Orioles Spring training baseball games. It used to be an annual tradition to attend a game during opening week at Camden Yards in Baltimore each April. In an effort to revisit that long lost tradition, we took a short trip to Sarasota to take in a couple of the O's Spring training games. This meant, leaving the dogs (and Cupid) at home. Overnight. For the first time ever since we've lived in Florida. Without us. But we had G'Ma there. She was ready. A little nervous, but ready. Grammy, who lives up the street, could be called upon for back up but hopefully, of course not needed. During her few days of pug boot camp just prior to us leaving, we had shown G'Ma the route to our regular vet and (gulp) the dreaded emergency vet, if needed.
We went through the notes and the routine for G'Ma. In doing that, it hit us hard what a day in the life at the home of senior pugs looks like from the outside. We have the routine down to a well oiled machine, but for an outsider to come in and take over for 2 days was a feat.
This is how the day begins:
5:45ish AM wake the pugs. Usually Cupid helps this along but making a lovely poopy in her cat box early in the morning which gets Benny's nose stirring. If this is the case, scoop the poop, feed Ben and work on waking the others. At breakfast time, the pugs all get their morning meds.
Their meds are concealed in various yummy treats to get them to down them with ease. Henry and Benny are not picky about how their meds are camouflaged but Luna has become a master at eating the package and discarding. The most recent one was at the bottom of the water bowl. At least that was an easy one to spot. 
Breakfast time ORAL meds include:
Benjamin:
- 1/2 synthroid pill (for thyroid disfunction)
- 1/4 Reglan (to help with acid)
- 1 full Theophyline (to open his airways and help him breath)
- 1 full Tussigon pill (cough suppressant to help his chronic cough and in turn to give his collapsed trachea relief from continuous pressure)
- 10 mg of generic Prilosec (for acid reflux)
- 1 full prednisone every other day
Some meds are best if given before they eat. However, for the sake of this narrative, some of the super minor details have been omitted.
Luna:
- Lasix (to help keep her mucous production low which allows for her to be less gaggy/hacky and helps alleviate stress on her trachea and upper respiratory system)
- 1/4 Reglan (to help with acid)
- 1 full Theophyline (to open her airways and help her breath)
- 1 full Tussigon pill (cough suppressant to help her chronic cough and in turn to give her collapsed trachea relief from continuous pressure)
- 10 mg of generic Prilosec (for acid reflux)
- 1/2 prednisone every day
Some meds are best given before they eat however for the sake of this narrative some of the super minor details have been omitted.
Not an "oral med" per se, but then Luna has to have her inhaler. This is similar to what people with asthma would take. But since you cannot explain to a dog how to "suck in" air through their mouth, you have to put the inhaler into a tube and the other end of that tube has a cup that covers her nose. You spray the inhaler into the tube while the cup is over her nose and you watch the little flap on the top of the tube to see how many puffs she breathed in.
This is by far the most challenging task that we have with the pugs (even harder than giving Benjamin eye drops. Prying his eyelids open to put a drop in his eye is like trying to open a pistachio nut that doesn't already have that convenient little crack in it already.) Luna has actually gotten really good at this, though. We even think that she has come to associate it with knowing it helps her feel better.
Henry:
- 10 mgs of generic Prilosec (ain't he easy?!)
So, that is pill time in the senior pug home at breakfast. Now. On to early morning eye drops.
Benjamin:
- 1 drop in each eye of KCS solution which has to be refrigerated (to help with reducing pigment covering his eye)
- 1 drop in each eye of an anti-allergy drop (to reduce itchy/mucous eyes)
Once you give a set of drops you need to wait at least 5-10 minutes before you can give a different set.
Luna:
- 1 drop in each eye of KCS solution which has to be refrigerated but is a different type than Ben's (to help with reducing pigment covering her eye)
- 1 drop of Pilocarpine (in her right) and 1 drop of Tacrolimus (in her left) (to help with dry eye, tear production)
Once you give a set of drops you need to wait at least 5-10 minutes before you can give a different set.
Henry:
Initially Henry was on no drops. That is how it was for when G'Ma was here. But for the week or 10 days before Henry had to have his eye removed, Henry became king of all eye drops. I cannot even tell you what the names of what he was on. There were so many that I could only remember them this way (and I won't repeat them the way I will for Luna and Benjamin because now that he no longer has a left eye, this is all sadly moot). All drops in the left eye. 3x a day drops with orange lid. 2x a day, drops with yellow lid. 4x a day the milky drops that you have to shake really really well. Tacrolimus (I only know this one by name since Luna has been on it forever) is 2x a day in both eyes. Then they added the drops in the bottle with the teal colored top that has to be refrigerated 2x a day. So he went from being super dog to the neediest one (in the eye department) almost overnight).
Whew. Ok. So the morning shift of eating, oral meds and eye drop is done. Now, time to potty them. Are you ready for the bathroom tour?
Benjamin can go one of a few ways. He typically goes outside, does his business and toddles back in. Sometimes, though, often weather dependent, he goes outside, and does his Benny walk which is the small loop around our court. If there are smells in the air then he will wander a bit more aimlessly following the scents in the air, especially if is a windy day. Oh boy does Benny love him a windy day!
Henry. He likes to use this time to try to bust out a walk to the busy corner (about 2 blocks away) and back. I say "and back" but once he gets to the corner he not only doesn't want to come back but when he eventually realizes he has to come back he dawdles like nobody's business. He is often carried home if time does not allow for his shenanigans.
Then there is Luna. Luna has her own agenda set each day. You cannot deviate from Luna's agenda. She either goes outside and does her business immediately or lets you know that you are going to have to work it into your schedule to give her another chance to use the ladies room before you head off to work. It will be clear what her choice is. If she doesn't do her stuff quickly then she will either just march up to the door or not even move the entire time she is outside.
This is the basic care routine of the morning shift. All the stuff that has to be done before the humans go to work. This of course does not include Cupid's routine needs (except the possible early morning poop scoop). Nor does it include the loving, petting and general conversation we have with the fur babies.
Moving on to midday. This is Grammy's shift on weekdays. All things considered, it is a light shift. Pugs get a midday day snack. If Benjamin, especially, and Henry, often, do not eat then they will develop acid in their tummies to the point in which they throw up stomach bile. Not to mention with the Hunger Games twins (Ben & Luna) being on prednisone they are ravenous! Henry's stint on pred also increased his appetite but he was manageable. Anyway, around 12-1 each day, Grammy comes down, lets the pugs out in the back yard to go potty, gives them a little snack and then tends to Luna's midday eye drops. Around lunchtime Luna gets 1 drop in each eye of cyclosporine (which works in conjunction with Tacrolimus) and about 1/2 an hour later she will get lubricating eye drops (Genteal drops) just to keep her eyes moist.
Grammy stays for a couple of hours. She listens to a book on audio, does some sewing, gives the puggers and Cupid some lovin's and tends to them daily. (So, when we think of this "extra shift" we have to include it into what G'Ma would need to learn during her training drills.)
Early evening (after work) the humans come back home and then it is on to the 3rd shift. The pugs get dinner and a round of pills much like the ones in the morning, but not quite as many. They get a round of drops almost exactly like the morning and Luna gets her breathing inhaler again. And of course, more time to do their business.
This is the breakdown of a day in the life at the OBP household. No wonder we don't have much time to go places anymore!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
A family member told us the other day that we treat our pugs better than most people treat their children. Of course, we have a tendency to agree (even if that meant that there was a sad realization that this means that children often ill treated).
This came on the heels of a recent debate we have been having in the OBP home. Can we take a pugless vacation? Can we go anywhere, stay overnight, without the dogs and cat and not need to take Xanax to relieve our anxiety? Can we trust anyone to stay with them? In our house? Alone? And still find positive results when we arrive home? The fact that Benjamin, Henry and Luna require quite a bit of attention gave us, the humans at OBP, much food for thought in making a decision that we have struggled with year after year since we've moved to Florida. Can we really take a trip somewhere together and not bring along the gang? If we went away, who would watch the pugs?
We have long known that our pugs are high maintenance. Yet, the realities of "who would watch the pugs" lead to an entirely revamped analysis of this concept. Grammy, who lives up the street, watches the pugs for a few hours every weekday/workday. But Grammy has 3 cats of her own, an active social life, gardening that she loves to tend to, books to write (her latest, Katie Did, is now available) and a husband at home that likes to have his wife around.
We knew that asking Grammy to work an additional entire vacation shift would be out of the question. So, who could we ask?! G'Ma, of course! But G'Ma still lives up North. And she does have a job, a husband and other responsibilities BUT no pets and she had been wanting to get away from the snow for bit! So the idea sounded grand!
We made the offer to G'Ma and she accepted. Still, there was much planning to be done. G'Ma would be here just short of a week. A few of the early days would be a pug boot camp for her. She'd be learning the drill, mastering how to give Luna her inhaler, understanding their special needs, etc. It is a lot to learn! Then the real work would begin when the OBP parents left.
Before G'Ma arrived, we got to work making notes, prepping systems and doing everything possible to help make it easier for her. But what we found in this process is that we essentially are running a Home for Senior Pugs.
More on the pugs' routine and G'Ma's adventures in pug sitting coming soon.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Looking forward to your captions in the comments.
Monday, April 7, 2014
I am happy to report that Henry did wonderful this weekend! I worked from home on Friday and Henry got some much needed rest. He didn't sleep quite as well as he normally does on the first night home from surgery. I think the biggest problem was getting used to the cone. But, by Friday afternoon, he was doing a lot better managing the satellite dish around his neck and was able to get a bit more comfortable.
In true Henry style, he also coaxed me into spending some time outside with him on Friday. His thinking was that sunshine is the best medicine. I don't know about that, but I was happy to see him wanting to do the things that he enjoys.
On Saturday morning, we noticed that a lot of the swelling in his eye had subsided. By Sunday, some of the redness was also fading. Overall, I think he is healing very well. He has taken it all in stride.
Benjamin and Luna are also taking it very well. Ever since Henry came home last Thursday, he has been a one man wrecking crew with his cone. He has been bumping the cone into Benny and Luna all weekend. They have been very patient with Henry even though there have been times he has almost bowled them over with his cone of shame.
Friday, April 4, 2014
I am so happy to report that Henry is home and is doing very well. He was super happy to see us yesterday. Once he said hello, he marched right out of the vet's office and was scanning the parking lot wondering where we parked because he was ready to get home.
Once we got home, he made no bones about wanting to eat. We gave him a bit of food and he was ready for more. I thought it was a really good sign that his appetite was already back.
I think the hardest thing for him to manage has been the cone. His cone is catching on everything and when that happens he's not sure if it because of something he can't see or if it is because he has a satellite dish on his head. I'm sure in a day or two he will be doing much better getting around with the cone of shame. For now we are super glad he is home and doing so well.
Thank you for all your warm thoughts and kind wishes. It meant so much and was such a tremendous help in getting through these last few days. Have a great weekend!
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Today Henry turns 12 years old!
To celebrate Henry's birthday here are some of my favorite pictures of Hank - one from each year he has been with us. If you can't get enough of handsome Henry, check out more pictures of him on Flickr.
June 2002: Ironically enough, it took Henry a few months to grow into his eyes as a pup. He had such a dark mask and the most velvet ears I had ever felt. To this day, his ears are silky smooth.
July 2003: Henry has always been a water lover. He has never been an excellent swimmer, but that has certainly never diminished his love for the water. Whether it be a pool, the ocean a lake or just a really big puddle, if Henry can splash around in it and fetch something out of it Henry is having fun.
November 2004: The beaten path is never where Henry wants to be. Henry was always running off and exploring. The less worn the path, the more he wanted to go that way. I guess you could say that he has always been one to blaze his own trail. After all, that is how he did find that peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
January 2005: Henry has always been a big chewer, however he is the only one of the pugs that actually chews the Kong. When we give the pugs a kong, we usually fill it with peanut butter. Benjamin, Henry and Luna lick and lick until they get all the peanut butter out of the inside of the Kong. At that point, Benjamin and Luna give up. But that is when Henry is just getting started. He collects everyones kongs to make sure no one left any peanut butter behind and then he goes to town chewing on the kong like he is going to be able to crack it open and get every last drop of peanut butter.
June 2006: You can't talk about Henry and his favorite things and not talk about lounging in the sun. You can be assured that Henry gets the recommended dose of Vitamin D every day.
July 2007: Being a pug, Henry of course loves food. One of his favorites has always been noodles. Since we frequently call him Hanky Doodle, when he has noodles, we like to call them Doodle's noodles. Overall, Henry likes surprisingly healthy foods. He loves most vegetables, including the gross ones like brussel sprouts
July 2008: Henry has always been the official ear cleaner and takes the ear health of both Luna and Benjamin very seriously. It has worked great for Luna and Benjamin. Whenever they are at the vet they always get a great report on their ears. Unfortunately for Henry, neither Luna nor Benjamin return the favor to help keep Henry's ears clean.
February 2009: Henry has always been the co-pilot. He loves car rides and his preferred way of travel is with his head out the window. The faster the car is going the more fun he is having.
April 2010: Curious would be a good word to describe Henry. He is super smart and is very laid back, so when he encounters something new you almost see the wheels turning his head trying to process the situation. This makes him a lot of fun because he is game to try anything!
October 2011: Don't get me wrong, Henry likes his creature comforts, but he loves the great outdoors. No matter what the season he loves to be outside and exploring. He's never been camping, mainly because his humans enjoy the finer things in life, but we have always surmised that he would love it!
March 2012: While Benjamin has always been an early riser, Henry is perfectly content to turn breakfast into brunch and catch a few extra winks of sleep in the morning. Not only is he a man after my own heart with sleeping in, he also makes the best hug up buddy.
April 2013: Because of his calm demeanor, Henry sometimes gets to go on little trips by himself. A yearly tradition for him is to go to the Bark at the Park event for our local minor league baseball team. Henry loves the yearly outing because he has made friends with a few of the concession workers. So, as soon as he gets to the park, he finds his friends and scores plenty of ballpark snacks.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Recently, our steadfast and always strong Henry has been having ear and eye troubles. His ears have rebounded (infection-wise, not hearing-wise), but his eye woes have not only not cleared up - they have gotten worse.
At the follow up appointment on Thursday of last week, we weighed all of the options about what to do about his eye. His vision in his left eye is lost. Due to the size of the cataract in his eye, there is no hope of vision coming back if we are able to get the glaucoma under control. And despite our best efforts, we have not been able to come close to managing the glaucoma. He has not responded to the stringent course of treatment that was recommended. So, the best thing to do for Henry is to remove the painful, angry eye and allow the true healing to begin.
This whole scenario took us by storm. Henry has always been the "healthy" one. He's barely been on oral medications. Rarely eye drops. Always been able to walk far distances. Trachea still a perfect circle. Could see. Could hear. Well, in the last 10 days he basically went deaf and blind in one eye and now we have to have is eye removed.
One of the harder pills to digest is that the surgery is tomorrow. And tomorrow is Henry's birthday! The guilt I feel for scheduling Henry's eye removal surgery on his birthday is enormous. I almost put the surgery off for another week, but Henry is in a lot of pain from the glaucoma. The eye vet describes it as having a constant migraine in his eye. And it just breaks my heart to see him push he eye into the furniture or to paw at it to help alleviate some of the pressure. So, I took the first available surgery day, which happens to be his birthday, in hopes of bringing him some much needed relief.
We will keep you posted. And don't worry. We are worried enough for everyone. May good health and happiness be with you all. Squeeze your babies today! We will stay as positive as we can. Thanks for all your love & support.
« Older Posts
| More Recent Posts »
Want more? Wander through our archives.
